Roasted Cauliflower with Sage Browned Butter

No matter how many times you’ve hosted or cooked for 279 people at your house for a party or a holiday dinner, you aren’t immune from forgetting something. Realizing that the bag of ice you bought is now nothing more than a puddle underneath the shopping cart in the HEB parking lot is always my favorite.

Or the 2 boxes of cream cheese that slipped out of the bag and under the passenger seat when you had to slam on your brakes to avoid fusing your car with the car of a clueless driver because – SERIOUSLY, THE WET STUFF IS RAIN AND IT DOES SOMETIMES FALL FROM THE SKY IN TEXAS.

This year, that something was the cauliflower.

It was going to be slow-roasted in the oven until the bottoms caramelized and the very tips of the florets turned brown and crunchy. It was going to be tossed in a straight-from-heaven browned butter cooked with fresh sage – ’tis the Season, SAGE IN EVERYTHING! – and thin strips of prosciutto. It was going to be topped with some fresh grated Parmesan before passed around the table.

And every bite topped with those crispy bits of sage leaves and prosciutto was going to be met with oohs and aahs and mmms and rmgphrmnhgphs.

Instead, the cauliflower was left in the barren vegetable drawer in the fridge. Which worked out fabulously because when we got back from Thanksgiving #2 in northeast Texas, it was the only food left in the house.

The Thanksgiving Side Dish That Wasn’t turned into The More For Us Sunday Dinner.

Roasted Cauliflower with Sage Brown Butter & Prosciutto

Toss roasted, caramelized cauliflower with browned butter flavored with fresh sage and prosciutto for a quick but impressive veggie side dish.

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 heads cauliflower, cut into small florets

Salt

Pepper

4 Tbsp butter

4 sage leaves, thinly sliced

4 slices prosciutto, thinly sliced

Grated Parmesan, for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.

Lightly grease 2 large baking pans with olive oil and divide the cauliflower between pans, spreading out into a single layer (or just bake half at a time, if you're short a baking sheet).

Lightly brush or spray with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, until nicely browned.

In a small sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat until it begins to brown.

Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, add the sage leaves and prosciutto.

The mixture will bubble up - swirl, remove from heat, and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer the cauliflower to a large serving platter - or onto a single baking sheet - and drizzle with the sage butter. Toss to coat.

Season with additional salt and pepper and serve topped with grated parmesan.